Founders Day
by MydnytAngel
Summary: How much can one girl take in one year? What happens if Elena goes to the boarding house rather then home? Will they put the pieces together?
1. Chapter 1

Elena set her purse in the seat next to her and she sighed. Her dress was missing. With all the commotion this evening, it gave anyone the perfect chance to steal her gown. She'd probably never wear it again, but it was a very nice dress. Her fingers jammed her keys in the ignition as she pulled out on to the road. She knew she needed to go home and talked to Jeremy, but there was something she needed to do first. Try as she might, she couldn't stay away. She just wanted to make sure he was okay. That was all.

She knew the way to the boarding house like the back of her hand, and the trip went by in a blur. Her car came to a stop in their driveway and she tried to ignore the flip flop of her stomach. She hadn't forgotten the way it felt when Damon had rushed over to them and grabbed her hand. Her hand fit perfectly in his and she could feel the spark between them, much like their dance. And she hadn't been able to ignore the way he squeezed her hand before letting go.

This is ridiculous, she thought. Damon was her friend. They had been for what felt like ever now. He was still and ass and didn't give a rat's ass about anyone, except for her. She'd seen the difference in him on numerous occasions and she was happy with their friendship. She trusted him and if she needed anything she knew he'd give it to her without question.

Finally she climbed out of her car and made her way up the steps. She didn't linger about, could be anyone watching their house. She let herself in easily as she had so many times before and closed the door firmly behind her. The house was dark, as it often was. The butterflies increased ten- fold. She didn't hear any kind of movement as she took a few steps forward but Damon was good at sneaking up on her.

She didn't have any super sense to figure out when he was around and he made it a regular thing of popping up out of nowhere and scaring the crackers out of her. There was some illumination in the living room, but only enough to create strange shadows throughout the room. She had no idea what kind of state Damon was in after the fire. He seemed okay when Stefan had gotten him out, but then he just disappeared, and that worried her more then she cared to admit.

Regardless of how much they fought, over whatever the topic was, both brothers seem to care on some level. Neither would let the other die, less by their own hand. She stopped trying to analyze them; it was too complicated for her measly little mind. But she was grateful they could get past their differences when it was life or death.

She still couldn't wrap her mind around Uncle John. Well she couldn't call him that anymore. She was nothing like him; she couldn't believe that her whole life had been a lie. She missed her parents, her real parents that raised her, loved her. Not Isobel and John that seemed set on ruining her life and everyone in it. She shook her head and carefully stepped through the living room, avoiding any antique furniture that could cause some serious injury to her toes. "Damon?" She called out hesitantly. "Are you home?"

She blindly groped through the living room, relaxing when she came in contact with the lamp on the end table. A dim light filled the room once she flicked the switch, revealing an empty living room. She bit her lip and glanced around as her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was from Matt, but she pressed ignore before stuffing it back in the back pocket of her black jeans. Maybe Damon was out drinking. She wouldn't blame him after the night he had.

But she had to go home. She needed to try to talk to her brother again. With a final look around she left the living room, heading back toward the front door. She paused when she heard a creek, like in the floor boards. Neither brother made noise when they walked and her heart clenched. If someone was stupid enough to break into their house, they were going to be in for a world of pain. Hopefully before she was. She grabbed the statue off the table in the foyer and crept back toward the kitchen. She had good reflexes; well she thought she did anyway.

She made her way toward the kitchen where Damon came around the corner, his hand shooting out to grab her wrist before the statue came cracking down on his head. "Elena," he said, raising an eyebrow. "How… how'd you get here so fast? And what are you doing? Trying to crack me over the head?"

"I came to check on you but I didn't know you were home I just heard a noise," she said, setting the statue down on the table. "Can't be too careful. As for your other question, I drove. Didn't see you much after the fire and I wanted to make sure you were okay before I went home." She hoped things wouldn't be weird with them anymore. She made it clear that Damon was just her friend.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "I was just at your house," he said, pointing to the kitchen that he had just come from. "I saw you not 5 minutes ago. We…"

Well things just got officially weird. "I haven't been home yet Damon," she said, her brows scrunching in confusion. "My stuff went missing tonight with all the commotion. You sure you're okay? Maybe the fire did a number on you along with the vervain. Did you feed? Get your strength up?"

For a moment into space then it clicked. He could feel the light bulb go off above his head. "Son of a bitch," he growled, his hand chucking the statue into the wall, shattering it. "Something is wrong," he said. "Do not leave. I'll call Stefan and we'll handle it. But promise me you will stay here."

Any other time she would have fought him, demanded he give her answers, but she heard urgency in his voice that she had ever heard before. So whatever was going on was very serious. "I promise," she said, squeezing his arm. "I swear I won't follow."

Damon pressed a kiss to her forehead before heading out.

Damon met Stefan a block away from Elena's house. "It's Katherine," he said, balancing on the balls of his feet. He was good at keeping his composure, not letting anyone know what was going on, but he could feel it slipping fast. Katherine knew how he felt about Elena and she had used it against him, to play him.

"Here?"

"I thought it was Elena," Damon said, clenching his fist. "You sneak upstairs and get Jeremy and Jenna. Katherine's mine."Damon headed inside without a word and the smell of blood assaulted his nose. He didn't know who Katherine had hurt, but he couldn't blow his cover. "Elena?"

"Back for more?" She teased coming out of the kitchen.

Damon could see the difference. She held herself differently, more poised. Her eyes were darker, sultrier, and her neck was bare. He should have noticed her not wearing a necklace. "Are you offering?" He asked, leaning in the doorway. He was a good actor. He was sure that he could fool her long enough. He felt sick. The woman he had loved for over a century was standing before him, and he couldn't stand to look at her. She wasn't who he wanted.

Katherine approached him. "We should talk," she said, tilting her head so her hair moved from her face.

That was such an Elena thing to say, and it tore at him. He thought Elena was finally coming around, returning his feelings. But all his hopes had been shattered. "Less talking," he said, lowering his lips to hers. "More killing."

She gasped as a stake protruded from her ribs. "Damon…"

"See you in hell," he seethed, pushing her corpse to the ground. He thought it'd be harder to kill her. She made him and he could feel the empty space in him, but he didn't care. Not about anything. He was tired of having these human emotions. They made him crazy.

Stefan came down the stairs slowly, a grim expression on his face. "Damon…"

"She killed someone," Damon said in a robotic tone as he stared at her face. His stomach was still churning at the smell of the blood. He never thought he could be sick at the thought, but tonight was the exception. "Can…"

"I'll take care of this," Stefan said, resting a hand on Damon's shoulder. "Jenna is calling 911. Jeremy… he's dead."

Damon's gazed snapped up. "She killed him?" It was Jeremy's blood he smelled. She murdered the poor boy.

Stefan shook his head. "There's no mark. It was something else," he said.

He couldn't be here anymore, he had to get out. He didn't know who else she had killed, but he didn't want to stick around for the rest. "I have to go," Damon said, backing out the door. He didn't know what he needed right now, but he knew only Elena could help him. But how could he face her now that her brother was dead?


	2. Chapter 2

Two hours. That's how long it had been since Damon had left her alone in the boarding house. She knew something was very wrong, and it was taking every ounce of willpower to listen to him and stay here. She had sent him a text message, only to hear his phone vibrating from the table in the living room. No one was answering her and every minute that passed by her stomach sank a little more. The amount of laps she had done around the living room as she paced, to keep busy were endless. She lost count after twenty. Where were they? What was taking so long? Her heart leaped out of her chest when the front door finally opened and she was almost disappointed to see Stefan."Are you okay?" She asked, sliding her arms around him. "Where's Damon?"

"You should sit," Stefan whispered.

No one said that for news that was anything but bad. Did something happen to Damon? "I don't want to sit," she said, folding her arms. "What's going on?" Stefan made this a regular thing, beating around the bush for news that was going to rock her world. It was getting very old.

"Katherine was in town," he said, meeting her eyes. "She was at your house, and she killed John. We couldn't get there in time. But Damon killed her."

"He must be devastated," she whispered, her hand resting on the wall. More people died because of that bitch. Now her father. She couldn't imagine what Damon was going through now that Katherine was dead. She had seen him when he found out she wasn't in the tomb, but this had to be worse.

"Elena," Stefan said, in a very serious tone that made her blood stop. "Jeremy... we don't know what happened. He died in his sleep."

"No no no no no," Elena whimpered, her knees buckling. She would have slid to the floor if Stefan didn't hold her up. She steeled her limbs and pushed him away from her. "This isn't happening." Not Jeremy. After a moment, she steeled her limbs to hold her weight. "I need a few minutes alone," she said, moving away from him and taking his advice as she fell onto the couch. She barely heard him as he muttered to her and left the room. She was numb, much like she had been when her parents died. She glanced up when she heard the front door open and she watched as Damon went upstairs. He didn't even look at her. Before she could think, her feet were carrying her trembling body up the stairs. She paused outside Damon's room where it sounded like he was breaking everything he owned. Glass was shattering, there were loud thuds, and he was cursing. Carefully, she opened the door, letting herself in, and he froze in the middle of the room, still unable to look at her.

Without words, her shaky legs made their way toward him and much like she had that night in the woods, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. This time, he didn't hesitate and hugged her tightly to him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

And at those words, Elena burst into tears, her fingers clutching his shoulders as she pressed her face to his shirt. "Why does this have to happen?" She whimpered.

"It's all my fault," his said, running a hand over her back. "She kissed me on your porch earlier. I thought… should have known it wasn't… And now…"

Her arms tightened around him and she felt the drops on her shoulder. She doubted Damon had cried in the last century and he allowed himself to do that with her. She felt his pain right down to her core, and it matched her own. Silent tears continued on their path down her cheek as they both slid to the floor.

Her tears stopped some time later, but she didn't release her hold on Damon. She felt like if she did, he'd break apart, or worse, she would. He had become quiet, and she could tell he had fallen asleep. Carefully, she moved his head down to her lap and ran her fingers through his hair slowly. She stared into space for what felt like hours but could have been minutes, but she didn't know. And she didn't care.

Some time later, Damon's eyes snapped open. As he sat up, he rubbed his face, smiling a little at Elena's sleeping form next to him. He scooped her up easily and laid her on his bed that had managed to escape his tantrum, and he headed downstairs. He needed a drink, a strong one. Everything hurt, his head his heart. It was going to take an obscene amount of alcohol to dull it all this time.

"Hey," Stefan said from the couch as Damon headed to the alcohol. "How's Elena?"

"Sleeping," Damon responded, knocking back his drink quickly enjoying the burn as it went down. Hopefully Stefan would let his girlfriend sleep. Damon had a feeling Elena hadn't been sleeping long and if she was peaceful, he hoped Stefan could allow that for a few minutes. The poor girl needed it. Especially now. Sleep was going to be rare for her.

"I'm not going to let you take her from me," Stefan said, standing.

"You know what Stefan," Damon said in annoyance. "Elena is my friend. My best friend. You gave her that pretty little necklace to protect her from me. She became friends with me on her own. She can make her own choices so… just let it go." He was so tired of this banter with his brother. Especially over Elena. It was time to give it up.

"I know you're in love with her," Stefan said folding his arms. "Everyone knows."

"Big deal," Damon muttered, knocking back two more drinks. He didn't care that he had just admitted his feelings to his brother, much less to himself. They didn't matter. "Don't worry. You and Elena will have your happily ever after." He grabbed his jacket and headed out of the house, never noticing Elena sitting on the stair case.

Elena bit her lip but headed downstairs, rubbing her swollen eyes. "Stefan," she said softly. She wanted to follow Damon and talk to him about what he had just said, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Hey," he said, coming over to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Empty," she answered honestly. "I really just want to go home." She needed to talk to aunt, figure out what happened to her brother. She could care less about John. As far as she was concerned, he deserved to die.

Stefan nodded and without question drove her to her house, which was swarming with police officers. "I can do this myself," she said. "You don't need to stay." She couldn't be around him right now. He was going to make everything worse.

"I want to be here for you, Elena," Stefan said, quietly.

"After what I heard with Damon, I don't really want to see you right now," she said, getting out of the car. Damon was right. She was his best friend, and she had made that choice on her own. Despite the bickering they did on a regular basis, she trusted him, she cared about him. And Stefan's jealousy was starting to annoy her more than anything now.

Stefan followed closely behind. "Elena you can't be serious," he said.

"He's devastated Stefan," she said, angrily. "You can't look past yourself to see the pain he and I are both in. God." She walked away from him, finally finding her aunt in the crowd.


	3. Chapter 3

Elena stared at the blank page of her diary like she had been for hours. She wanted to write, but she couldn't. So much had happened in the last few days, she didn't know where to start. There was a knock on her door, and her brows scrunched together. No one ever knocked and her aunt was with Mr. Saltzman, so she was home alone. Her feet carried her downstairs and she opened the door to allow a very drunk Damon to stumble in. "My god Damon," she said, sliding an arm around his waist after closing the door. "How much have you had to drink?" The smell was enough to almost knock her over but she ignored it.

"Not a lot," he slurred. "It makes me feel better."

It didn't surprise her that he had gotten totally drunk after what he had been through. She knew he loved Katherine, and he had to be devastated now that he lost her. She helped him to the kitchen and set him on a stool. "You're wasted," she said, softly, folding her arms. She longed to help him, but her own grief was so strong she couldn't really find it in her to care about anyone else's. "What are you doing here Damon?"

He rested his head in his hand, and didn't bother to look her in the eyes when he said his next words. "Want to say goodbye," he muttered almost to himself but she heard those words loud and clear.

She froze as she stared at his ducked head. "What?" She whispered. What else could she say? She had never imagined Damon leaving town. Even all the times he had said he was leaving, she was secretly relieved to see that he had chosen to stay.

"I can't do it anymore Elena," he said, lifting his gaze to hers, and she had never seen so much pain swirling around in his blue hues. "I try to do the good thing, and for what? No reason to stick around when it's never going to make a difference. Or to listen to Stefan bitch and complain about his life, when he's got everything a man could want."

He was very right on that point, and she detected the jealousy in Damon's voice. He usually kept his emotions to himself, and didn't allow his feelings to get in her way. But this time, he was being completely open and honest with her. She made her way over to Damon, resting a hand on his back. "Listen to me," she said. "I was awake this morning when you were talking to Stefan. I heard what you said." She placed a finger over his lips. "No, let me finish. You have done so much for me Damon. I see the good things that you do, and they mean something to me." She gently stroked his cheekbone wither thumb. "I want you here."

Damon stared at her for a moment and a small smile appeared on his face. "Why do I let you do this to me?" He whispered, leaning into her hand. He brought his hand up to hers, squeezing it softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Feel like I'm sleeping," she said. "That none of this is real." Then she remembered that Damon didn't know. "Jeremy overdosed. Aunt Jenna told me earlier. Found my empty pill bottle in the bathroom." She shook her head then remembered something else. "Oh god Damon," she said. "There was blood. A vial of some kind with blood in it, in the bathroom next to the pills. He could be a vampire."

"A very dangerous one, yes," Damon agreed, getting to his feet. She stared at him in shock for a moment as she watched him move through the kitchen with his natural grace. "Meet me at the boarding house."

"Where are you going?" Elena asked. "You couldn't even walk a few minutes ago."

"Wears off quick," he said. "Just meet me there. I'm going to find him and we can try to help him."

She bit her lip but followed him to the door. The place she wanted to go was to the house where Stefan was. She knew he had tons of questions for her and she knew he wanted her back. She just wasn't ready for that. "Please be careful Damon" she said, pulling on her jacket.

He gently touched her cheek. "I'm going to do my best."

She did not want to see Stefan. It would just be them fighting. But Damon wanted her to be here, so she would be safe and after wringing her hands nervously, she headed inside. She tried to calm her racing heart and just keep calm but it was hard. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Elena," Stefan said from the living room. "Didn't think you'd be here."

"I'm waiting for Damon," she said, folding her arms. He hadn't taken a step toward her, and she could see how bad she had hurt him. She didn't want to hurt him, just with everything else going on right now, she needed a supportive boyfriend, and Stefan couldn't do that for you right now. "He's looking for Jeremy who might be a vampire."

"What?" He asked in shock.

"I don't know the story," she said, shaking her head. "Hopefully we can help him." She had heard stories about new born vampires and she had seen what human blood to people. Damon was the only one strong enough to emotionally and physically help her brother.

"Not all vampires are like us," Stefan said.

"I know that," she snapped. "But I have to try." She knew he was just trying to prepare her for the fact that Jeremy could be a cold blooded killer and there wouldn't be anything they could do. But she was starting to notice more and more the difference in the Salvatore brothers. Damon tried to work on things with her, rather than just take care of it on his own without telling her.

"Elena I don't want to fight with you," he said, softly.

"I can't do this right now, Stefan," she said, dropping her arms. "I can't think about us." She didn't want to think about them right now. She wanted to help her brother and try to get everything else taken care of. She couldn't deal with the extra stress right now.

"And this is about Damon right?"

"Damn it, no!" She flared, taking an angry step toward him. "This is about me and your lack of trust all the time. I'm tired of it. Damon is going to be in my life. Get over it." Had she not made it clear that Damon was her best friend, but that's all he was?

"Wow," Stefan said, shaking his head. "You're not the Elena I feel in love with."

"No you fell in love with some Katherine replacement. Not the real me," she said, as the front door opened. "Jeremy!" Jeremy snarled and tried to break Damon's grip as he was hauled downstairs. Once he was locked up, her hands wrapped around the bars as she stared at her brother. She couldn't stand not being able to do anything. "Thank you Damon," she whispered.

"Feel like the babysitter," he muttered heading upstairs. "Every time we got to lock up someone for you."

Elena grabbed his arm at the top of the stairs. "I mean it Damon," she said, softly.

"I know," he said, touching her hand. "You have a very rough road ahead Elena. Might not even be able to help him."

"And what kind of person would I be if I didn't try?" she whispered. She stared at him for a moment and she felt her heart tug. "I'm going to go lay down." If she didn't lie down, she was going to fall down. Everything was catching up to her, but Jeremy was safe now and she could take an hour to sleep.

"Good idea," he said. "It'll be some time before Jeremy's calm." He watched Elena as she headed upstairs and he sighed. He needed a drink. A strong one.


	4. Chapter 4

Elena startled awake, her heart going a mile a minute as sweat dripped down her neck. She looked around, recognizing Damon's room, remembering that she decided she needed to sleep where she felt safe. She didn't want the conflict with Stefan or the unfamiliarity for a different room. In the background she heard water running and she climbed out of bed. Her feet carried her toward the bathroom and her eyes widened seeing Damon's clothes on the floor. After a moment's hesitation, she silently slipped out of her clothes and locked the bathroom door. Not her stomach was doing hurdles as she slipped by the curtain, smiling at a very wet and very naked backside of Damon Salvatore.

Damon turned and froze when he realized who and where she was. "Elena," she said, licking his lip. "What in the world are you doing?"

She bit her lip and moved closer to him under the spray. "We really don't need words for this," she said, running her hands up his smooth chest. She honestly didn't have a clue as to what she was doing; she was just running on instinct and the many romance novels she had read. She knew Damon had feelings for her, and she couldn't hide hers any longer.

"Elena," he said, shaking his head and grabbing her hands. "This isn't going to be some fling. I'm not going to let you go once we do this."

If Damon had whispered those words to her a few days ago, she would have smacked him, but not today. She had lost too much in one night to start worrying. Tonight she was just going to give in. "That's okay," she whispered. "I don't want to be let go." And she was surprised at how much she meant those words.

That seemed to be answer enough for him as he lowered his lips to hers, strong arms banding around her small waist. His tongue delved deep into the contours of her mouth, tasting her, the real her. After a minute, he pulled back so she could catch her breath. "Let's move this somewhere more comfortable," he said, his fingers grazing her cheek softly. He turned the water off and wrapped a towel down his lean hips before draping one around her shoulders. "Cold?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted, closing the towel over her body. The reality of what she had just done was slowly setting in, much like the faint shade of pink that was gracing her skin. She felt like she had made a fool of herself, in front of Damon.

Damon took her hand gently and led her to his room, where she gratefully took the dry shirt from him. Once he had his pants on, he headed back to the bathroom to hang up the towels and when he came back, Elena had changed into his button down shirt that was still big on her covering her to the middle of her thighs.

"We should talk," she said, shifting shyly next to his bed. She still felt underdressed, and like she should cover up more, but Damon was being a perfect gentleman, not making her feel any more uncomfortable then she already was.

"Sure," he said, sitting on the edge of his bed, raising an eye brow at how easily she sat next to him.

"Didn't mean to jump you like that," she said softly, staring at the smoothness of her legs. It still was so unlike her to just jump in the shower with people. She didn't do things this… abstract. "Probably not the way you were picturing it."

"No, it's definitely not," he agreed. "But Elena… I meant what I said."

"So did I," she said, lifting her head to meet his eyes. "I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend that everything is okay. Pretend that I'm happy and I'm not. I just…" Her life was falling apart. Her family was in shambles and she didn't feel like anyone cared about what she was going through. "And you've been here through all of this crap, and even if you were an ass to everyone else, you still looked after me. We've been… we've gotten so close these last few months and all Stefan does is try to ruin our friendship rather than worry about me me." Damon's attention was already always on her, making sure her needs were taken care of. "Can't we just try? Don't you want to try?"

Damon's body sagged as he kissed her temple and she easily snuggled up against him. "You're going to be the death of me Elena," he said smiling against her hair. "You have the worse timing with these things."

"Yeah, but I'll make it up to you," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his neck. What happened after that, she couldn't name. Something shivered through her as her teeth gently nipped at the flesh under his ear. Her hand came up to wrap around the back of his neck as she continued to taste him.

"Elena," he groaned, hugging her to him. "You're moving into very dangerous territory."

"And?" she asked, coyly. "I don't see any problems." She titled his face towards her so she could press her lips against his as she slowly leaned back, pulling his willing body with her. She loved to feel the weight of him pressed against her, setting every inch of her on fire.

Damon ran a hand down her waist as he allowed himself to melt into her embrace. His hand ran up her bare leg, pausing on the outside of her thigh, growling softly when her hands tugged against his hair. Slowly, he pulled her up off the bed, bringing them both to their feet, his hand moving beneath his shirt that covered her body from his view.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she tilted her head, allowing his lips access to her neck and shoulders, as his fingers undid the buttons down the front of the shirt. She shivered as cold air moved over her heated flesh, and she hung on to him tightly, her fingers latching onto his back. "Damon," she whispered, pressing her body against his.

"God, you're beautiful," he said, backing her against his bedroom wall. "There is no comparison, sweetheart."

She smiled a little, not realizing the weight she'd been holding, hoping that he knew who she was and that she wasn't Katherine. But he knew exactly who she was. Her hand moved down his sides, pushing at the waistband of his pants. With just a shift from him they slid down and he easily kicked them to the side before he scooped her up in his arms. She met his lips in a gentle kiss as he slid them under the covers to his bed. Her head relaxed against the pillows as his lips moved lower. She stroked his upper arms as he kissed the swell of her breast. Her breath caught in her throat as his teeth closed over a very sensitive nipple. She inhaled sharply as her hands wrapped around his head. He went slow, not demanding anything from her, allowing to get used to what he was doing as he switched to her other breast.

Elena's legs shifted against his as his name slipped off her lips in a whisper. She tugged him closer to her and tried to push him away from the intense pleasure, and she couldn't get her brain to focus on one. It didn't help when his lips found their way to her belly button, placing a kiss right above it. "Damon," she whispered, definitely pulling him up away from where he was headed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, moving his body next to hers as he ran a hand through her hair.

"Nothing," she said, her face turning a deep shade of red. "I just… don't want you doing…"

He placed a finger over her lips and kissed her temple. "No worries," he said, titling her lips up to his.

Kissing she could do, she knew how to kiss boys. Her hands framed his face, stroking his cheek bones as his hands roamed over her body. His thumbs moved over her nipples causing her to whimper as his hands ran over the smoothness of her leg. She relaxed under him, a small smile appearing on her lips and only when the soft tips of his fingers moved to her inner thigh, did her hold tighten on his arms.

"You can trust me Elena," he said, softly, leaning his forehead against hers as his hands slowly coaxed her legs apart. Her nervousness was written all over her face and he knew he had to move slowly. Her body was relaxing more and more against he allowed a long finger to gently pierce her moist folds.

Elena gasped and arched toward him as she moved her hips against his hand. "Oh god," she whimpered.

She was more than ready for him, but she didn't know that and he didn't want to push her too much too fast. He knew that she had slept with Stefan at least once, but clearly it wasn't anything spectacular. He nibbled on her beck as he pinched her little bundle of nerves, causing her nails to dig into his shoulders and he used that has his cue to move back over her, fitting his hips between her knees.

Elena swallowed and lifted her legs around him, giving him some encouragement that she wasn't ready to run for the hills. He stroked her upper arms soothingly as he pressed his lips against hers, before moving his hips forward.

A gasp escaped her lips and he paused but when she lifted her hips again, he slowly pushed himself all the way in. "You okay?" he asked, resting his weight on his arms next to her head.

She nodded and gave him a smile as she stroked his cheek. "I'm fine," she said, pulling her knees up a little.

Damon slid an arm beneath her lower buck, tugging her more to him, his eyes nearly crossing inside his skull. "God Elena," he said, allowing his pace to pick up some. "You really have no idea how perfect you are."

Pressure was quickly building deep inside her stomach and she could feel his flesh give way beneath her finger nails on his shoulders. She whimpered his name as white hot pleasure crashed over her body, blocking out her vision with different colored stars.

Damon allowed himself one more powerful thrust against her before his arms gave out from pleasure. Easily, he rolled him over, smiling down at Elena who looked pleasantly spent against him. A large smile appeared on her face as she slid an arm over his waist. "That was amazing," she cooed, trying to move her bare leg over his. All her limbs felt like jell-o and she couldn't move even if she wanted to.

"That it was, Sweetheart," he said, running his fingers through her long locks. "Best ever." He kissed the top of her hair, hugging her tightly before he sighed. "Not to ruin the moment, but we do have to talk. I need… I need you to stay away from the boarding house for a few days so I can try to help your brother."

She moved her head so she could see his eyes. "Will I see you at all?" she asked, unable to stop the slight pout from forming on her lips.

"It's possible," he said, his thumb rubbing her lower lip. "We'll see how things go. I don't want to be away from you either, believe me, but this is going to be a very delicate process. I still have to get rid of Stefan. He certainly won't be helping the process much." He smiled a little and kissed her forehead. "I'll take care of everything, I promise. Right now, you should try to sleep."

"Sleep is good," she said, snuggling deeper into his embrace. She had wondered for a long time what it would be like to fall asleep in Damon's arms, but nothing could have prepared her for the reality of it. How safe and loved she felt as he stroked her hair as she drifted off into the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a few hours since Elena had fallen asleep along side of him when Damon carefully extracted himself from her warm arms. That was the last thing he wanted to do, leave the warmth of her body, but he had things to do. He dressed silently, heading downstairs where he was blindsided as Stefan landed a solid punch to his jaw, splitting his lip clean open. "Impressive," he said, his tongue healing the wound instantly. It had been some time since he felt that kind of strength in his brother.

"How could you sleep with her?" Stefan flared. "You know how I feel about her and you just couldn't leave it alone."

"I gave her plenty of opportunities to change her mind," Damon said, folding his arms. "This isn't your business Stefan. If I make her happy, you should support her if you care about her at all." A month ago, Damon would have said he was trying to make Stefan miserable by stealing his girl, but that just wasn't the case. He had every right to dislike Stefan, but he was never going to use her as bait for messing with his brother. He wanted them to be real, but he knew it was never going to work. Not like this.

"Damon?" a small voice mumbled from the doorway. Elena was wearing her tank top and his pajama pants as she made her way into the living room.

"Sorry if we woke you," Damon said, softly, but he made no move to get closer to her. God she was beautiful with her hair slightly messed up, and in his clothes. However, the look in her eyes broke him to pieces.

Elena folded her own arms as she stared from one brother to the other. "Is it really always going to be like this?" she asked, softly. "The two of you always trying to kill each other?"

"How could you sleep with him Elena?" Stefan demanded. "It's only been one day."

Elena bit her lip but she didn't back down. "I tried to tell you yesterday that things were bad."

"So you slept with Damon?"

"Elena," Damon said, taking a step toward her. "You don't have to explain yourself." He couldn't stand to see his brother tear into her like she was a piece of property. He could see the doubt and confusion start to cloud Elena's face and he knew in that moment he had lost her. He knew that his heart was going to be ripped apart because of the love of one woman.

"Yes she does," Stefan argued.

Elena backed away from both of them, her heart constricting in her chest. "I have to go," she said, putting her shoes on.

"Do you want me to drive you?" Damon asked.

"No," Elena said, shaking her head. "I just want to be alone."

Damon's face fell for a moment as she watched her leave the boarding house and his heart started to crack. He should have ran after her, and begged her not to leave him, but he just stood frozen.

Elena stared at the various people that came to John's funeral. Once she had fled the boarding house she had gone home, now that the police were done crawling around, and she had locked herself in her room before she cried for over an hour. She missed Damon so much and he was all she thought about now that she was away from him. She tried to ignore the leap in her heart when she saw Damon approach her through the crowd. "Hi," she said, softly.

"Hey," he said. "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged. "I'm fine I think," she said. "Hated his guts. So I'm just here because I have to be." She was already more relaxed with him around she knew she had to fix what was happening to them. On impulse she moved her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. "Thanks for coming." She knew if Stefan came, that they would be fighting and it would be tense. But Damon calmed her down and was just here for her.

Damon hugged her tightly, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Can we go outside and talk for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure," she answered, gripping his hand as he led her outside. She shivered from the cold breeze and he easily draped his jacket around her shoulders. "Thanks." It was so easy to be with him, so easy to melt into him and forget about the world. Stefan hadn't bothered to check on her at the funeral, to see if she was okay, only Damon did.

Damon sighed. "Elena, you know how I feel about you," he said, softly. "And last night was amazing, but you're right."

"Damon," she said, softly.

"Please let me finish," he begged. "I want to be with you, god help me I do. There will always be that constant battle with Stefan. You'll always be miserable and I don't want that for you. I don't want you to have to make a choice."

"Damon, I never wanted to hurt you," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Damon was leaving her, so she wouldn't have to choose between him and Stefan and it was breaking her heart into a million pieces.

"I know," he said, smiling a little, as he thumbs stroked her cheeks. "I'll be fine." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Call me if you need anything." And he left her on the porch as she watched him walk away into the night.

She clutched his jacket tight around her before heading back inside, numbness washing over her.

Elena tiredly made her way upstairs of her dark house, her head pounding and her heart broken. It had been a brutal fight to get through the night, knowing that Damon had just broken up with her. She couldn't wait to get home, and she was surprised to see Stefan waiting for her on her bed.

"I don't want to fight," he said, as soon as she came in.

"What do you want then?" she asked, sliding her aching feet out of her sandals. She was looking forward to putting on her pajamas and crawling into bed, not having some kind of discussion with Stefan. She had hoped Damon would be here, and she long to text him and check on him.

"I saw Damon at the house as he was helping Jeremy," he said. "He said that he was going to leave you alone so we could be happy. It'll be easier for us to work things out if Damon isn't in the picture messing everything up."

Elena pursed her lips and glared at Stefan. "Damon hasn't messed up anything," she said. "I care about him. A lot. And Damon sacrificed his feelings and his heart so that it wouldn't be hard for me. And in order for me and you to work things out, I have to push Damon out of my life and I'm just not going to do that." She tugged jeans up her legs under her dress, deciding that she was not going to be going to bed. "I can't be with you and pretend that I have feelings for Damon." She moved into her closet to change out of her dress away from Stefan's gaze and she put sneakers on.

"So this is it?" Stefan asked.

"I'm sorry Stefan, I really am," she said. "But yes." She grabbed her phone and keys, leaving Stefan in her bedroom as she drove toward the boarding house. Her heart was racing incredibly fast as she finally pulled into the driveway and she couldn't wait to see Damon. It took her a minute to compose herself before heading inside. She heard voices from downstairs, and she made her way to the basement, pausing on the stairs.

"I want to hate her, I really do," Jeremy said. "But I know she was only trying to protect me."

"Your sister loves you," Damon said quietly. "She still didn't know how to deal with the whole vampire thing. She's still learning just like you are."

"I still felt it," Jeremy said. "That something was missing. Wrong."

"I know how you feel," he said. "The woman that turned me, I loved her with everything I had for over a century. Even thought I didn't choose to be a vampire, I dealt with it. And now she's dead and there is a big hole missing."

"But you love Elena now," Jeremy pointed out.

"God help me," Damon said with a sigh. "I tried not to. Knew it would cause people nothing but heart ache. I tried to keep her away, but she was persistent. But it's over now. I want her to be happy and Stefan will never allow that if she's with me."

Jeremy chuckled. "You made a choice for Elena?" he asked. "Good luck with that."

Elena smiled to herself as she came down the rest of the stairs, her hands curling around the bars. "Can I interrupt?"

Both sets of eyes landed on her and Damon pushed himself from the wall. "Elena," he said, softly. "You shouldn't be here."

"I know," she said, nodding. "I needed to talk to you." She had debated with herself the whole trip over here on whether she interrupt him from Jeremy. But she couldn't wait to work this out. She needed it out now.

Damon glanced at Jeremy before exiting the cell, locking it firmly behind him.

Elena stared at her brother for a long moment. "Jer…" What could she say? That she was sorry? Jeremy was going to be happier as a vampire, because he wouldn't hurt anymore, and he had Damon to teach him.

"I'm fine," he said, pushing his hair back. "It just takes time."

"I love you," she said, dropping her hands from the bar. For a moment she thought he wouldn't say anything but he said two words that lifted her up farther than she had been in a while.

"I know."

The knot in her stomach slowly started to release as she followed Damon upstairs. She knew it was coming, and she felt sick, but the tug in her heart was stronger and helped her not flee from the house like it was on fire.

"What are you doing here?" he asked tiredly.

She decided not to dilly dally and she just put everything out on the table. "I know you're trying to protect me Damon from all the bad stuff that's going to happen if I stay with you," she said. "But I can't do that Damon. I can't be away from you and ignore my feelings. And when you walked away from me, I felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me. I know you thought you were doing what was best for me, but I need you, Damon. Only you."

"Elena," he said, rubbing his face. "I told you I wanted to be with you, I just didn't want it to always be a fight."

"Stefan will leave me alone if he knows what's good for him," she said, grabbing his hands. "I care about you so much Damon. More than I ever thought I could and I want to be here with you no matter it takes. Just… just think about it and then you can come find me when you're ready." She kissed his cheek before moving toward the front door.

"Elena," Damon said, following her. "I don't need to think about it." Gently he grabbed her hands again. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Of course," she said. "I'm all yours Damon. Mind, body, and soul." She pulled his arms around her waist and moved hers around his neck. "No games." She kissed him softly. "I should go. I know you need time with Jeremy."

"I'll be over later," he said, his arms tightening around her. "Promise."

"I can't wait," she said, kissing the side of his neck.

Damon lifted her gaze to meet his. "I love you," he said, his fingers stroking her jaw lightly.

"I know," she said a smiling forming on her lips. "I love you too."


End file.
